May POTM, usmcruiser (1 Viewer)

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usmcruiser

usmcruiser

Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Threads
82
Messages
1,569
Location
Longmont, CO
My POTM is not as nice as previous months, but it's mine and I love it. That said my story is more of what I went through to acquire my beloved pig.

I started my search for an FJ55 back in Jan of '06. I posted a tread in the for sale section and had some replies. At the time I was driving a 2000 Corolla. Not my style but it got good gas mileage. But I had gotten sick of it as it was not "me". So my wife approved the purchase of another Land Cruiser and I had my heart set on a pig. I had no real luck in my search of the "perfect" pig. As I needed something that could be my DD right away. So it had to run and stop and not look like complete hell.

I was contacted by Dan (KliersLC) here on mud. He had a decent pig for sale with a cheby 350 under the hood, and was willing to drive it all the way down to Salt Lake City, UT from Moscow, ID. I was stoked. At the time Frontier was running a special $100 for a one way ticket to SLC. So I bought my ticket contacted Dan and we agreed to meet in SLC on a specific date. He was even nice enough to offer to pick me up at the airport and let me take the pig from there.

Well on the eve of my flight out to SLC I get a call at 3:00 am. I answer and it's Dan. "Nick, [don't get on your flight. There was an accident. The pig and my 80 are totaled. Were ok but the Cruisers are not." Turns out the Uhaul trailer that the pig was on had a poor repair done to it and the tongue failed. Causing both rigs to roll and be totaled. You can read more about it here. Dan was super cool and refunded all my money and got back home safe and sound.

So now my search was on again.
 
So then I posted up again in the for sale section and was contacted by another mud member. This time the pig was already in SLC. Coincidence??? Salt Lake City seemed to be the place for pigs. ;) This piggie was a 1974 that had a 3bt swapped into it. So was super excited about the potential for better fuel economy and a little more power. I agreed to purchase this pig and this time instead of flying out to SLC I was able to hitch a ride with a fellow mudder that was driving out there for a business meeting. PabloCruise (TJ) and I bonded for several hours on that drive out to SLC. His sister was nice enough to put me up for the night and I would leave very early Sunday morning. So Saturday night TJ and I drove up and picked up the pig. I had a funny feeling in my stomach when I was handed the keys to the pig but I dismissed it as too much adrenaline. The next morning I awoke early to start up and drive home. But thankfully TJ's nephew loved pigs and wanted to go for a quick ride. Having a young cruiser head at home my self I was happy to oblige. Well on our quick trip around the block the transmission starts screaming at us. It was almost deafening. We pull back into the drive way and check the transmission for lubricant. It's bone dry. Not even residue. So TJ and I then start our search for an open parts store in SLC on a Sunday. Not so easy. We eventually find one and purchase then necessary oil and then some. just in case anything else rears its ugly head. After filling the tranny and taking it for a nice quiet spin. I leave for CO (about 6 hours later than I wanted to).
 
Now on this pig the only gauges that worked were the odometer and the speedometer. So I decided to fill up at the Wyoming state border and every 200 miles I would stop for gas. At the Wyoming border there was a drifter and his dog looking to catch a ride to Cheyenne. I figured it was a long drive I could use the company and the good karma on my trip. Plus drifters in my experience are usually great people with even better stories.....Not in this case. This guy was so dull I cannot even remember his name. I do how ever remember his dog's name (Homer) only because the dog had more personality than this guy. So the drifter, his dog Homer, and I drive across Wyoming mile after mile. Well all the sudden 30 past Rock Springs WY at mile marker 136. My windshield get sprayed with oil. So I pull off at exit 136 and when i'm about half way down the ramp the engine dies. So here I am 30 miles from Rock Springs and 73 miles from Rawlins. So I start making phone calls. Well 8 hours later I finally get home. The seller of the pig was nice enough to come pick me up and drive me home. He crashed at our house and left the next morning. But not with out a very decent breakfast. And he returned a portion of my money as he said the pig would easily make it to CO. And since it hadn't he took it back.
 
Well by now I was very disgruntled and figured either the pig gods were angry at me for some reason or the Mormons hated me. I ended up going with it was just Salt Lake City. The city just didn't like me or pigs or chose me to be the destroyer of pigs. :crybaby:

So my search continued....I obviously got fed up with traveling anywhere to pick up a pig so I really hammered the local listings. Well come Aug of 2006 I found a Craigslisting for a FJ55 right here in Longmont. I drove down to check it out and wouldn't you know it. It wasn't too bad. Who knew I could find a decent pig right here in CO as opposed to driving 8 hours to find one.

It was a 1976 completely stock pig. The only mod was that it was sitting on 31x10.5 ATs. I took the piggie for a test drive around town and it stalled out on me. :doh: I couldn't get it started again. I get that feeling in my stomach again that I had in SLC with the last one. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, well.....your a fooler. Turns out it had a rusty gas tank and the fuel filter and carburetor were clogged with rust. I talked him down to $1150 and towed the piggie home.

Once home I started the process of getting her road worthy as a DD. I pulled the gas tank and took it up to the only shop north of Colorado Springs that has a tub that can boil a gas tank. I also sent the carburetor off to Jim C for a complete over haul. Once I got the tank back I lined it and reinstalled it with no problems. Jim did a rush job on my carburetor and got it back to ASAP and the pig fired up after only a few cranks of the starter. She was alive!!!

The next thing was to get a new hood. The 2F hood that came with the pig had come loose while the PO was driving down the highway at 70 mph. It flew up hit the roof edge and dented teh crap out of it. So badly taht it no longer shut properly. So I found a new 2F hood and had it shipped to my house. It had some rust on the front but it closed and looked better than what was there.

Other than that I haven't done anything to my pig. Due to lack of time and funds. She is so stock that she still has the chrome along the drip rail and the original owners manual. Once my 40 is built and ready to roll, the pig will be converted into a tow rig. Cummins, 6 speed auto, dana 70 rear, dana 60 front, etc. But for now she is my DD and wheeler and I love every second of it. I have done a little damage to the passenger side rocker pannel. I crushed it going up left hand canyon just west of boulder. She wheels great, especially for being stock and open diffs.
 
Now for some pictures...

The day I brought her home.
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i remember you looking, and i remember parts of the story, specially dans "trouble". it sure makes for one heck of a memory about buying a pig.

glad you finally got a pig, your wife looks as happy as you to be wheelin in it.
 
I don't know about the Corolla but that Pig suits you guys great.Glad to here the perseverance paid off for you.
Great wheeling pics.Your rig looks to be in pretty decent shape and belongs out there.
I'll be watching for your Cummins thread.

:cheers:
 
Yep, looks like a nice straight pig that runs. Wouldn't mind that pig at all. With your smashed rocker will you be saving the rockers or putting on sliders?
 
Eric Ellis said:
Yep, looks like a nice straight pig that runs. Wouldn't mind that pig at all. With your smashed rocker will you be saving the rockers or putting on sliders?
Click to expand...

For now I'm not going to worry about it. I need to build up the 40 so I dont beat the living crap out of the pig. but eventually I want to stretch the pig over a Dodge 2500 frame. So I'm most likely going to use 2 sets of IPOR rockers and butt weld them together to get the new length under the doors. which should be about 12 - 14 inches. Idealy I would like Lance to sell me 3 total sliders or 1.5 kits. But I doubt he would be willing to do that. ;)
 
This is what I was thinking of doing to the pig. adding a little to the front just behind the front wheel well to in crease the engine bay so I can run a radiator and intercooler on my 6bt. Since ppillard was unable to include an intercooler on his swap. Then I want to add about 6 inches to each door opening and the remaining 8 inches or so to the rear glass/cargo area. which I would like to make a removable top like a first gen four runner. Back there a removable 3rd row would live while the top was on. but when the top is off a "tailgate" on the inside would close and glass would go up. Then the 3rd row seating would be removed to gain access to a goose neck hook up.

These are mostly pipe deams right now. as I neither have the $$$ nor the time. but rather brain storming as to what my perfect tow rig would be.
Streched_front_b-pillar.JPG
 
nice pig Nick.........used as it was designed:D.........you can tell the kids are loving it.........they will remember wheeling with Mom and Dad till they are senile and telling their grandkids about going up 60 degree inclines with Dad!......bravo:cheers:

Lou
 
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